Merlin: The Complete First Season
Like Smallville did for Superman, Merlin is a new drama series that updates the story of the infamous sorcerer of Arthurian legend for a new audience. In a time before history began, the mythical city of Camelot was a fantastical realm and a dangerous world in which magic has been banned by the ruthless tyrant Uther Pendragon. When Merlin, a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers, arrives in the kingdom, he discovers his destiny and that of the kingdom’s young leader in waiting, Arth
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(out of 47 reviews)
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Review by Nick Kh. for Merlin: The Complete First Season
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I absolutely enjoyed this show. The first episode hit on that the relationship between Merlin, the young magician, and Arthur, the prince of Camelot is essential and very important. As they meet, they both sort of hate each other, but destiny brings them together, like two sides of one coin for a reason. The first episode also made it clear that Magic is forbidden in this land, so it is intriguing to see how everything would turn out. If you give this show a chance, you will be surprised by twists and turns of the events. Unexpected story, like suspense, that’s what come to my mind. Everything in the story is important as things will come together and make more sense.
The things I like the best are:
1. Great setting. The castle in this TV show is real and it’s astonishing! It is one of the best castles in France. Some scenes also take place in Wales and the woods are so magical. I donno how they do it, but the whole setting, the nature, the castles are very mystical, fantastic and beautiful!
2. New actors. I hate big name actors. When I watch someone act, I don’t want to think about the actor, I want to focus on the character, and that’s what you get in this TV Show. The acting is brilliant. It is never overacted, so to keep you focused on the story. Because episodes tell the story in a fast paced manner, as there is so much to tell, the actors keep things smooth, clear and real. There are no awkward situations and the production is made to make you feel like you’re there. I found myself worrying when the actors worried, even though I knew things would turn out fine. So the emotions are definitely pass on to the viewers from the skilled actors.
3. Characters and the friendship plot. The friendship is as complicating as it is deep and also very good. We learn about the relations of Merlin and Arthur that there is love, there are difficulties, mysteries, secrets, but we also learn about friendships among the rest of the many characters in this story. They are all interconnected and deepen as the story progresses. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I wont tell you who is friend and who is a foe. One thing I will mention is that every character has demons as they also have angels in them. Things may turn out for or against their relationships towards each other, you just never know how. That’s what kept me watching this show. No one is too perfect or too evil. Everyone has flaws here, and they all react to them differently. So the show is very focused on the development of characters while keeping the whole thing fast paced and action packed. I am amazed at their abilities to do that. There must be real good writers at this show. Each character has a whole lot to reveal through their past, present and even the future. I was surprised over and over by what I could learn about certain characters with each episode.
4. The magic. The magic in this story is essential, but we also know that it is forbidden in Camelot. At first I didn’t like the idea as I was too afraid that we wont see much magic happen. I was wrong. There is plenty of magic in this show. It all comes from unexpected chain of events. Also, magic is not all great. There are many who want to use it for evil, so perhaps there is a reason it is forbidden in Camelot…..
5. Special effects. Some say the dragon in this show looks bad. I agree that it could have looked more realistic, but it is not horrible at all. In fact, it looks realistic to me. I mean, it doesn’t look like an animal on geographic channel, but it does look like a mystical creature we’ve never really seen in life. It looks like it is done on the computer, but not to the extent that it is too obvious. You can still enjoy the dragon if you are not holding a magnifying glass in your hand trying to study its scales. The rest of the creatures and magical special effects in my opinion are great. They are just about the same as in Harry Potter movies.
6. Message on morality. Over and over I catch myself noticing good moral lessons in this show. For young people to watch this show, is not only to enjoy the story and catchy special effects, but also to learn lessons between choosing what is right in one’s life. Characters are constantly tested and at crossroads. Each decision we make matters a lot for our own future and the people we love. Morals on friendships, respect, patience, good will, forgiveness. I still remember the episode called “to kill the king”. It was the most amazing lesson on forgiveness I’ve ever seen done on TV.
Right now the show ended with the 13th episode, the last one of the first season and I can tell you, it is at its climax. The show has climbed up high in just 13 episodes. We now have more answers. We know the characters to heart, but we are also puzzled with new information given about them, as nothing is too certain and there are hidden skeletons on the closets. So that only makes things even more exciting. We also went through the pain, struggles, losses as well as joy, great friendships and miracles with these characters.
As far as some complaints you may face about this show… I’ve heard people expressing lots of hateful messages, like the show looks cheap, actors are horrible, etc, etc… I don’t know if those people are blind, or if they even saw any of “Merlin”, or are they just negative trolls who know nothing but spread negativity online. Some say that the show is not as true to the original legend. But If you don’t like this interpretation of the legend, there are millions of other interpretations out there, and NO ONE really knows which one is the right one. I googles the legends of king Arthur and Merlin for weeks now and have found that no one really knows what happened. No one knows who was who’s son, wife, friend, foe… No one knows who killed who and so forth… There are tales and songs from everywhere saying different things. Apart from that, people also complain about the acting, and the special effects. As I am a theater actor myself, I gotta say the actors are amazing. I have yet to see anyone in this show underact or overact. And the dragon effects don’t bother me a bit, as I am too focused on paying attention to what’s going on. BBC cannot put more money into this as they already have. As much as they put into this show, they did an amazing job. They keep the writing entertaining, deep and mysterious, and they keep the directing smooth, fast paces and beautiful. I have only one complaint, I want to see more!!!!!
So in the end of my review, I just hope that I was able to convince some of you to watch this show, and excite you somewhat as deep as I am excited about it. I hope I helped you lose some of you concerns and questions answered. Enjoy this TV serious with a simplistic heart and it will take you on a great journey! Cheers!
Review by media chilena for Merlin: The Complete First Season
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That’s not saying much, considering that Reality TV seems to be taking over everywhere, and there is NOTHING else on this summer.
It may not be THE-ABSOLUTE-BEST-THING-EVER-ON-TV-EVER!!, but this UK import is pretty darn good. Solid 4 stars. I started watching the first couple on Hulu, and now I’m sort of hooked. I’m usually a wait-to-see-it-on-Hulu person, but I’ve been flipping on my TV Sunday nights to help get the Nielsen ratings up. I hope this show isn’t cancelled, at least they finished out season 1 in the UK! Looking forward to season 2 (i hope!!) and to seeing what these promising actors will do after this!
So, 4 stars for giving me hope in scripted, serialized TV. Thank you, BBC.
EDIT: I forgot to mention what a great family show this is. A few scenes/themes might be a bit scary for smaller children, but there’s no language, and I can’t remember the last time I saw a show featuring a bunch of 20-somethings who WEREN’T sleeping with each other. Refreshing!!
Review by Brian Stumpfol for Merlin: The Complete First Season
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This new BBC series Merlin is one of the Best Shows I have ever watched ! I have seen every episode and I live in the US. Have downloaded and watched all the shows. The actors are great and so is Anthony Head as King Uther. Anthony Head as all recall played Giles on Buffy The Vampire Slayer..
It is filled with much magic and fun and great in my opinion for all ages but not too young for it my scare the little ones… All the on location filming from a real castle in France and other sites in the U.K. are amazing . This is a must see series to watch. I have read that it is supposed to be broadcast here in the US soon maybe and will be released on DVD but not known if it will be in Region 1 for US.. If you can find it on the internet and download all the episodes and watch as you are drawn into the story wanting to watch again and again to find out what Meriln’s destiny is…..and best of all when you download them ..No Commercials !! YEA!!!
Review by NY film buff for Merlin: The Complete First Season
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I confess that when I first heard of this BBC import I had no intention of watching it. For starters, it deviated too far from the standard Arthurian legends. And when I heard about CG dragons and pseudo-medieval costuming I decided it would be a total dud.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. The series is absolutely delightful, in spite of minor flaws like occasionally sketchy plots and dialogue. It was clearly aimed at young viewers–perhaps the early to mid-teen set–but surprise, surprise! It has garnered a devoted adult following, to which I now belong. A lot of this is due to the charm of the (mostly youthful) cast, a bunch of attractive newcomers who overcome the periodic silliness of the storylines with their genuine acting chops and ability to swashbuckle with just the right amount of aplomb combined with humor. A degree of gravitas is provided by Richard Wilson as the court physician Gaius and Anthony Head as a narrow-minded, stern (nay, hard-assed!) King Uther Pendragon, and John Hurt, who voices the clairvoyant old dragon chained beneath Uther’s castle at Camelot. But the lead actors–Colin Morgan as young Merlin and Bradley James as Prince Arthur–undoubtedly steal the show.
In this non-conventional take on Camelot, Prince Arthur is something of an arrogant bully with a heart of gold, who becomes genuinely fond of and dependant upon Merlin, the gawky, bumbling, admittedly adorable youth he takes as a manservant. What he doesn’t yet know is that Merlin is a gifted sorcerer, who must conceal his abilities because King Uther has outlawed (on pain of death) the practice of any form of magic. In spite of the royal ban, it is Merlin’s destiny–as Gaius and the imprisoned dragon repeatedly assure him–to look after Arthur, protect him from harm, and make certain that he survives the sniping of his enemies to become king of Camelot someday. The job isn’t always a picnic; Arthur can be a pain in the royal butt at times, and his prowess as a warrior places him in constant danger. Merlin (whose blue eyes turn CG gold when he performs magic) is periodically aided by other inhabitants of Camelot, most specifically Morgana (Katie McGrath), Uther’s beautiful ward, and Guinevere, known as Gwen (Angel Coulby), who is Morgana’s maid. All in all the cast appears to to having a grand old time with this morphed rendition of the King Arthur story, and they clearly have an excellent chemistry with one another. As the New York Times quipped, this is Camelot in the Age of Obama: commoners and nobles address each other by their first names and Guinevere is a servant, not a princess, and is played by a lovely actress of mixed ethnic background. Best of all, Merlin and Arthur are perfect foils for one another in looks and in character. The slim, angular Mr. Morgan, with his lanky grace, black hair, elvish ears and changeable blue eyes gives us a Merlin who is by turns comical, serious, and intense, shy yet self-assertive in the face of Arthur’s bullying. Mr. James, a classically handsome blond with mobile features, pouty rock-and-roll lips, and an athletic physique, plays Arthur as a spoiled princeling with a sense of entitlement, who nevertheless clearly cares about his subjects and hides a kindness and compassion beneath an arrogant exterior.
As the mother of a teenager who adores the show, it has been a (guilty) pleasure for me to watch this series unfold. I look forward to a second season. When a U.S.-compatible DVD set is issued, I hope it includes the cast’s video diaries from the British DVD release. These “diaries,” which contain some hilarious escapades (both on and off set) featuring the young actors, as well as moments of highly amusing banter between Mr. James and Mr. Morgan, and Mr. James and Ms. Coulby, are definitely worth a watch.
Review by C. Conley for Merlin: The Complete First Season
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I confess that my first reaction was scholarly dismay but once you realize this is entertainment NOT an attempt to accurately represent the original Arthur(which is impossible anyway) it’s wonderful! It’s beautifully done, wildly entertaining and the twists and turns on the legend are really amusing. The DVD can’t come out fast enough!!! And I do hope NBC will run the new season soon.